Age of Pices, Time of Love
by Lost Book
Summary: When luna is killed before she gets a chance to awakend Usagi to her destiny, Sailor Moon doesn't exist. The old enemy takes over the world, and enslaves the human race. Mina Aino, awakened by Artemis as Sailor Venus, is the only one who can do anything
1. Prologue: When The Future Dies

My permanent disclaimer is in my bio. 

*…* designates thoughts

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Age of Pices, Time of Love

by Lost Book  


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Prologue: When The Future Dies

The story of Sailor Moon is well known. One fateful morning on her way to school, Bunny Tsukino steps upon a black cat. Removing the Band-Aid from the cats head, she begins a story like no other. 

Thanks to the cat, now known as Luna, Bunny learns of her destiny to become the legendary warrior Sailor Moon. Fighting evil in the name of love and justice; Bunny, with the help of Luna, quickly awakens three other scouts and meets with a fourth awakened on her own. 

With the help of her fellow scouts and her true love Prince Endymion, Bunny defeats the evil forces set upon the earth by the enemy.

Unfortunately for the fate of this world, that never happened.

********

The sun shone brightly on Monday morning. The rain of the previous night now only reminiscent in the soft dew. A black cat with an odd crescent moon mark quietly wandered the streets. The cats name was Luna, and she was searching determinedly for the person who could save the world from the growing forces of darkness. 

* I must find Sailor Moon quickly,* thought Luna. *Quickly or else it will be to late. To late for all of the world, if the enemy has their way.* She trundled along, as fast as her small cat legs could carry her. She had an idea as to where she could begin investigating, if what she had already had sensed was true. 

Stepping off the curb, deep into her thoughts about how she must awaken the only one truly capable of saving the world, Luna never even realized the car coming until it was to late. 

And then, she died.

********

ONE MONTH LATER

"Crescent Beam!" Mina Aino aka Sailor Venus shouted, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The rain poured furiously down on her and the Enemy. She collapsed onto her knees, her hands shaking on the wet pavement. 

Jadeite snickered, watching her pitiful attack flash lightly past him. "Come come now is that the best you can do? Surely a 'protector of love and justice' should be able to at least hit me hmmm? Or maybe I should just kill you, take this city's energy, and report back to Queen Beryl..." He smirked at her, silently debating which attack would be best to finish her off with. 

Mina desperately tried to gather her energy, either for another attempt at attacking Jadeite, or for dodging when his inevitable counterstrike came. For the past hour she and Jadeite had been locked in a determined battle. But he had gained energy from both the people of the city of whom he had stole it, and from the few of his evil minions that Mina hadn't yet been able to dispatch. And as for Mina... well she was fighting alone. She had only her own powers to call on. Even Artemis wasn't there, he hadn't yet returned from his most recent search for Luna before the enemy had attacked. Mina stood shakily "Crescent--"

"FLAME OF DARKNESS" 

As Jadeite's attack bore down on her, Mina had time only to think of one thing before the darkness took her: *Goodbye Artemis...*

  


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LB: Well it certainly does feel good to be writing once again. I haven't posted anything for a while. Oh, and this chapter is short because it's just a prologue, the next one will be longer.

Please Note: I take my names from the Manga, So that's why its Bunny and not Serena. I can be persuaded to change it to Usagi though I suppose. Also I do need a beta… And I'll repost this if a lot of errors are found. 

On that note, feedback is greatly appreciated so please review. Even if you just want to say hey…. 


	2. Chapter One: Her Cat's Devotion, His Mas...

My permanent disclaimer is in my bio. 

*...* designates thoughts 

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Age of Pices, Time of Love

by Lost book

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Chapter 1: Her Cat's Devotion, His Master's Life

When Artemis first awoke from his sealed slumber, he had immediately begun his search for Sailor Venus. At that time he didn't know that she would be Mina Aino, or anything else about her for that matter. He had only the vague memory of her from their past life, and the knowledge that he had to find her. 

Artemis found Mina, and convinced her of her destiny as Sailor Venus. They had both begun investigating and fighting the enemy, and he had made contact with Luna whose mission was to awaken the legendary warrior Sailor Moon. 

But something was wrong. The darkness was ever growing, a cold terrifying feeling that was always present. Mina kept fighting the enemy, and so far she had not failed to beat them. Still, Artemis knew that she was being worn thin. 

And then there was Luna... Artemis hadn't had any contact from her for over a month. Whatever she was doing, she was way behind schedule. She should have found Sailor Moon by now... hell, she should have found most of the other scouts by now! And even if she hadn't, she could have at least contacted them... 

This led Artemis to believe that something was wrong. *Drastically wrong, if what my gut is telling me is true* Which was why he was alone, separated from Mina, and searching for clues in the pouring rain. 

*Luna hasn't contacted us for a month. If something has happened to her, whatever clues there were are probably long gone now...* Artemis sighed dejectedly. What he really wanted to do was get back to Mina. She had assured him when he left a day ago that she would be fine, that she would miss him but she'd be fine. He wasn't even that far away really. And yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

*Maybe it's best just not to think of it. She said she'd be fine and I have to take her word for it. Besides what would I do if I were there? Meow at the enemy?* Artemis chuckled inwardly, trying to comfort himself. 

Which was when he felt it.

Good bye Artemis...

Artemis froze as if struck by lightning. "Mina! Mina what is it?!" he yelled desperately. 

He had heard her. Heard Mina as if she had been standing next to him. And she had said goodbye....

Artemis knew instantly that something had happened to her.

Feeling, knowing that he must get to Mina immediately, Artemis ran through the streets. Not stopping for anything he barreled around corners, and darted through the pedestrian traffic. 

*I never should have left her* he thought panicking. *What if I never see her again?! NO. I'll get there. She promised she'd be ok* 

With this last thought spurring him on, Artemis continued to sprint to where he distantly felt Mina would be.

***********

Hours later when Artemis finally made it to her, it appeared to him hopeless. Mina lay in a puddle of water and blood, the rain still streaming down on her. It washed all the blood and grime away from her body, making her look like a perfect ghost. 

Artemis's logical sense told him that there was little he could do. For one, it had been hours since whatever injury it was had befallen her. He tried to sense her energy, which was something he wasn't very good at. If Mina _was_ alive, her energy was low enough that he couldn't sense it. And cats, however intelligent and powerful a cat he may be, are not good at taking pulses. 

If she was alive, he knew of no way to heal her. The only thing he could try was the energy transfer that he and Mina had taught themselves how to do after seeing how the enemy tended to steal energy from both their victims and their minions. His and Mina's energy transfer was different though. It required mutual cooperation from both parties, and they hadn't ever been able to do it without great concentration. He wasn't even sure if he could do it without the both of them working together. But if he poured enough of his life into her...

*It'll work. I don't think it'll heal her. But it'll at least keep her alive.* Taking a deep breath, Artemis began to concentrate on calming himself and centering his energy. When he at last had it just right, he leaned over Mina and put his forehead to hers. With their crescent symbols aligned, he began to let his energy flow from him to her. 

Within seconds he could tell that the transfer was going to work. And minutes after that he could tell that she was indeed alive. Artemis had to stop himself from breaking the connection and jumping for joy. 

Finally, he had given her as much as he could. He stepped back and felt her energy. *Let it be enough. Please let it be enough.*

Then he called to her. "Mina. Wake up Mina. I need you."

"Wake up!!"

********

Mina was in a dark place. 

The place was strange...It felt as if she was simply suspended by nothing. Just floating in... nothing. 

She remembered now Jadeite's attack, how she hadn't had any power left to shield herself. 

Artemis.... she had called goodbye to Artemis. 

Was she _dead_?

If she was dead where was she? 

And...if she was alive, how could she be in this place of nothingness?

Jadeite's attack... 

Had he destroyed the city? The people whom he had drained of energy would be dead. 

Mina shivered. This was a lonely place. 

She tried to walk but there was nothing to walk on. Then she tried to swim, but there was nothing to swim in. 

Perhaps she should just accept the quiet and sleep...

But....

Artemis....

"Mina"

Artemis? 

"Wake up Mina"

Was he calling her?

"I need you"

But she was dead. She couldn't wake up...

"Wake up!!"

**********

LB: So is Mina going to wake up? Well, you'll just have to wait and see won't you. At least it's longer this time hmm? Enough with the questions ^_^

Oh btw, I'm still messing around with a permanent formatting, so if there is one that bugs you please tell me. And I still don't have a beta. 

Review Replies:

Bucky: I was totally psyched to see your review! Thanks for reading, especially if you don't even like Sailor Moon ;)

Venus Babe: Thanks!

Eternal Sailor: That's what this chapters for! ^_^ Thanks for the review

Breaker: Thanks for the input. I hope this chapter is at least a bit better. 

On that note, reviews really are helpful. So if you've read this chapter, please review it!

Story Advertising (if this is annoying please let me know. Personally, I find it sometimes nice to have good fan fiction recommended)

Piccolo And Chichi 

By: Bucky

Yes, this isn't a Sailor Moon fic. But I'm sure there are a bunch of you out there who like DBZ as well. With that in mind, this is a truly excellent fic. It is beautifully written and I am sure it will make you a fan of the odd couple genre if you aren't one already ^_^ I picked it up because it is the prequel to the prequel to a fic about Vegeta, and I absolutely love them all. 


	3. Chapter Two: To Sleep? Perchance To Drea...

*...* designates thoughts. 

long passages in _italics _should be noted as occurring within Mina's head. Or at least, not with in our timeline...

Disclaimer: chapter title taken from a line by William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" 

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Age Of Pices, Time Of Love

by Lost Book

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Chapter 2: To Sleep? Perchance To Dream... 

~*~

But she was dead. She couldn't wake up...

~*~

__

Mina awoke to the sun shining brightly in her eyes. She shook her head to clear the feeling of cobwebs from her mind. 

"Artemis?" She asked aloud. For some reason she couldn't seem to remember much of what had happened recently. She seemed to have some recollection that she had been talking to Artemis. 

Getting out of the large, fluffy bed that she had been sleeping in, Mina peered around at her surroundings. Confusion continued to control her mind as she wondered why it was that she didn't seem to remember any of it, and yet it didn't seem new... In fact, it was almost like de ja vu. 

Looking into a closet, she found clothes in her size. *But what strange clothes they are!* There was a multitude of beautiful dresses, but they were fancy as if made for a queen. Beside these there were also many articles that looked as if they were some sort of training clothes for a fighter. 

Mina laughed to herself. *A warrior Queen?* 

Continuing to explore the sun-filled room she finally came across something that she could recognize. It was a picture, of her and Artemis. And yet, she couldn't remember such a photograph ever being taken. In the picture, Mina was wearing one of the beautiful dresses from the closet. She held Artemis on her lap, and around her were four other girls. The other girls also wore dresses like the one on the Mina in the picture. One of the girls, a blond who looked rather a lot like Mina, held a black cat. 

Frustrated Mina frowned at the picture. *Why can I remember Artemis and not the others? Selective amnesia?* There was the same sense of not knowing, and yet at the same time... remembering. *Hmmm...* And now she was getting an odd, fuzzy sort of feeling. Looking at herself with those four and Artemis made her happy. She shook her head and moved on. 

Where ever she was it certainly was peaceful. The sun played against the walls, shining through several large windows. A light breeze drifted through an open one, ruffling the soft floaty curtains. She had a strange feeling though, that life hadn't always been this peaceful. That life hadn't always been this way for that matter. 

Walking around a corner, she came to a large mirror. *Oh for--, what am_ I wearing?* The prospect of investigating her surroundings had distracted her from noticing that she was wearing * a nightgown with _jewels_?* Mina smirked at her reflection. It appeared that she was some sort of Queen after all. _

Continuing on, now looking for an exit so as to find a person to explain all this to her, Mina rounded another corner and spotted a painting. It depicted her, and... someone she didn't recognize. But the frustrating sense of de ja vu lingered on him as well. 

He had a crescent mark upon his forehead. His hair was long, and white blond. And...and his eyes..

*His eyes... they look...they look like Artemis's eyes!*

~*~

But she was dead. She couldn't wake up...

~*~

__

Snapping out of her reverie, Mina quickly leaped to the side as a sizzling stream of energy blasts followed her. Dodging them she dashed down an alley way, knowing that she didn't have enough energy to come out of a fight alive. But she might, she just might have enough energy to get away. 

The alley was a dead end. Cursing, Mina gathered some of her energy and pushed it off the ground, sending her into the air. But she wasn't quick enough. Deadly energy bolts lanced through her body, killing her before the thought that she was dying even registered in her brain. 

Truly being out-of-body, Mina watched as her dead corpse fell to the earth below, and the enemy swarmed around. She had failed. Failed Artemis and her planet. Failed herself. 

Her killers, now sure she was dead took off. Somehow having the ability to fly in this odd form, Mina followed her enemy. She watched as they destroyed the entire city. With no one to stop them, they continued on their path of destruction. Mina's home was destroyed. City after city fell. Most people were killed, or drained of energy and then destroyed. 

There was no one to stop them. Mina had been the last warrior. Mina and Artemis...

Artemis confronted the enemy. As a cat, he could do nothing. But he wouldn't die without trying. He had ran from where he had been investigating and managed to not get destroyed with the city. Finally catching up with the legion of evil he darted amongst them and leaped at one of the generals, clawing at his face and throat.

Sneering at him, the general grabbed Artemis by the throat and snapped his neck. He was dead almost as immediately as Mina had been. 

They had killed Artemis. 

Mina howled with anger and frustration. *DAMMIT! It can't end this way! It doesn't_ end this way! ARTEMIS!* _

~*~

"Wake up!!" 

Artemis's cry sounded desperate, even to him. He knew Mina was alive. Knew it. The possibility that she was stuck in some sort of coma was distressing. He had to get her out of here or the enemy would return and kill her again, this time for sure. 

"Grrrr." Artemis growled, pacing next to the unawake Mina. 

~*~

But she was dead. She couldn't wake up... she was dead.... dead.... she couldn't wake up.... couldn't wake up... wake up....she was dead, she couldn't wake up...

The thoughts echoed throughout her head, pounding until she could stand it no more. "STOP IT!" Mina screamed. All was suddenly silent again. She was back in the black place, the place of nothing. 

She had thought she was dead. And then.. then she had been taken to two very different places. One was peaceful and happy and she had been some sort of Queen. The other... well, she had died in the other. As had Artemis. The memories of both intertwined with the events that had actually happened, confusing her as to what was real and what was not. 

*Were they really even different places? Or could it have been simply different times...* But she had never been a Queen. And... she had thought that she had died... but not like that. 

Mina felt now the wish that she _was_ alive. Not that she had wanted to die before...but... before something in the darkness had oppressed her. Kept her from awakening. And then she had accepted it and... And she had those visions. *Yes. Visions must be the right word for what happened.*

How to wake up. She almost laughed. *I thought I was dead, but I _decided_ to wake up.* She tried reaching out, both actually and with her energy but she could still feel nothing. 

No that wasn't entirely true. She felt some of Artemis's energy inside of her. He must have tried to save her by doing an energy transfer. *Huh. I didn't know it was possible to do that without the recipient helping.* But in any case what she had to do now was figure a way out of here so she could get back. 

*Maybe if I transform into Sailor Venus, the power of the transformation will be enough to break me out of wherever this is.* After all, with her own semi-renewed strength, and with what Artemis had given her, she should be able to do it. 

*But first...* Mina pinched herself. *Ow!* She looked around and then sighed. *Not that I actually expected that to work.* 

*Alright here goes...* 

"VENUS POWER, MAKE UP!"

Mina felt the hot power of the transformation coursing through her. A bright light filled the darkness, changing it from the endless black to a brilliant blinding white. She became Sailor Venus, and stood now, blinking in the brilliance.

*Well, that almost did it I think. This should break it all the way!*

"VENUS LOVE-ME CHAIN!" Mina's attack snapped against the whiteness, and with a final burst of light she was thrown suddenly back into the real world. 

~*~

A blinding flash of white light startled Artemis. He leaped backwards as from the light came, "Mina?!" It was Mina, transformed as Sailor Venus. But.. Artemis looked at the ground. She still lay upon the ground as well. 

*There are two Minas?*

He promptly fainted. 

~*~ 

"I'm back!" Mina cried for joy. She was on earth! And Artemis he was alive as well! Mina sweatdropped as Artemis fainted. *I guess he's glad to see me to.* 

Suddenly her attention was called to who was laying next to Artemis. 

*It... It's _me_?!* How could there be two of her? Unless... Mina looked at her hands. They were oddly transparent. She could clearly see that they were there, and yet she could see through them. 

Almost drawn to do so, she kneeled down next to her body. The spirit of Mina put her hands on her counterparts face. A faint yellow/orange glow surrounded them both and then with a small flash she was absorbed.

~*~

Lost: *weep* Sorry for taking so long to get this out! Think of it this way: If I'd gotten it out sooner it would have been crap. ^_^ You got this way later than it should have been, but (in my opinion) it's better work. Also, I meant for more action and plot development to take place in this chapter (after Mina wakes up) but I'd really like to get this posted now and I don't want to rush the story to much. So next time the _real_ action starts! I hope you liked this chapter though. What'd you think about Mina's 'Visions/Dreams/who knows what (besides me ;P) yet? 

On that note, (and don't we always seem to end like this??) your reviews are much appreciated! Oh! Which reminds me, 

Review Thanks:

Wingnut: Thanks! For a while you were the only one to review chapter 2 (why didn't the rest of you huh? huh?)! I will continue, it just took me a while ^_^

Lady Xaverri: A heh... Yes, cliffies and then taking to long to update... bad combination. ;) Sorry! Can't promise no more cliffs, but well, my updating habits will hopefully be better. 

Story Advertising(it's actually a Sailor Moon one today!):

The Odd Adventures Of Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna 

by Lady Grizabella

A very cute fic! Funny, and the chapters are each their own story. The daily life of the outer senshi. Ummm, I really am not 

going to try to summarize some one else's fic, but it is really good. So go read it! :)

~*~

And in case you forgot (yeah right -_-...) please review!

Oh! And please tell me if all the italics was annoying or not… (I still don't have a beta to answer such questions *weep*)


	4. Chapter Three: Dreams of Mystery, Words ...

*….* designates thoughts.

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Age Of Pices, Time Of Love

by Lost Book

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Chapter 3: Dreams of Mystery, Words of Power

~*~

Mina opened her eyes to see Artemis staring down at her. She blinked as droplets of rain spattered into her face from the dark clouds above, mixed with the tears falling onto her from Artemis. "Artemis...?"

"I'm so glad your awake." Artemis smiled at Mina. It had torn him up inside when he had first arrived only to find that he appeared to be to late. While still worried about her health, he was overjoyed because he knew he could expect her to make a full recovery. "I have to admit, you scared me a couple of times there. First I thought you were dead, and then all of a sudden there were two of you?" He shook his head. "We need to move, if the enemy finds us now they'll finish both of us off and I--"

Artemis was cut off as Mina sat up and hugged him. "Thank you, Artemis." she said quietly. 

Artemis blushed. "Your welcome." he said. "I'm just glad we are both alive. But we really do need to get going." He wriggled out of her grasp and jumped down from her lap to the pavement. "Do you think you can move now?"

"Hmmm..." Mina contemplated this. She was still bleeding from several wounds. An assessment of her body proved that nothing was broken. Anything internal would certainly have been helped by the energy transfer. "Yeah... I think I'm okay. I just feel like I've been run over by a truck... a _big_ truck." She stood up shakily. "Once I get my feet steady I should be fine." She stretched a bit, wincing as she felt the pain of her wounds become more pronounced. "Back to Magellan...?"

"Yeah. We need to get you back for some rest. Detransform, and we'll go as quickly as we can." Artemis twitched his tail impatiently. "We don't know how long we'll have to prepare before the enemy strikes." 

Mina detransformed, feeling the warm wash of power recede till it was but a glow within. She bent over gingerly and picked up Artemis, before setting off walking down the dreary abandoned street towards the apartment. As she walked she felt a nagging sense in the back of her mind that she was forgetting something that she really ought to talk to Artemis about. But she just couldn't remember... It continued to bother her as she journeyed onward, with the icy cold rain once again starting to pour down in drenching sheets. 

~*~

Magellan. It was Mina's personal nickname for the apartment. It was located in a relatively old sector of the city, and the rest of the residents in the building left her well enough alone. While the rather antisocial and depreciated atmosphere might seem like a depressing place for a teen to live, it suited Mina perfectly. The more the enemy picked up their campaign, the more she and Artemis had to go and fight them. Living in anonymity allowed her to be Sailor Venus without attracting attention in her alter ego. 

Artemis had somehow secured the apartment for them. Mina had no idea how the little white cat had managed it, and frankly didn't want to know. It wasn't the first time he had accomplished something he shouldn't have been able to, but then, he wasn't just any ordinary feline. 

While the actual building itself was run-down; Mina and Artemis's apartment, having been decorated by Mina, was cozy with brightly colored furnishings. The sight of the familiar living room made Mina sigh happily as the two entered the apartment. Mina tiredly walked over to the couch and flopped down on it, laying on her stomach and snuggling up to a bright orange pillow. 

"Mina... you really should clean up, and take care of your injuries, and..." Artemis trailed off as he hopped up onto the end table next to the couch and peering at Mina realized that she had quickly fallen asleep for exhaustion. _*It's to much for a 14 year old girl.* _ Artemis curled up on the table and then smiled, _*But then, she's no ordinary girl.*_

~*~

*Oh... this place again?* Mina's dream self raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to having reoccurring dreams. Mina was back in the first place she had visited during her blackout after the last fight. This time though, she didn't have the clear feeling of actually being there. It was the ambiguous distracted feeling of normal dreams. 

Mina looked down at her self and was unsurprised this time to see the jeweled night-gown she had worn the last time she had the dream. She glided more than walked around a corner and passed the mirror that had caused her to notice her rather fancy attire the last time. Passing around the next corner, she came again to the painting. The painting of a human, who reminded her distinctly and confusingly of Artemis. He had the same white hair, the same crescent marked forehead, and most definitely, she decided peering closer, Artemis's eyes. 

"Mina-chan" Mina gasped and turned around. To her astonishment, it was the man from the painting. He smiled and walked over to her, and as he put his arms around her Mina found that she was outside of her body. 

Unable to clearly figure out the situation in her dream state, Mina was very confused. *Ok,* she thought, *This is weird on so many levels.* She watched as the dream Mina smiled and embraced the Artemis-looking human. 

"Your going to be late" the Artemis-human said to dream Mina. She smiled and leaned up to kiss his forehead, before replying. 

The real Mina didn't hear her other selves reply, but gasped after hearing the man speak again, this time listening to him. She would suppose later that she shouldn't have been surprised, but.. *He has Artemis's voice!*

The dream faded away. 

~*~

Mina blinked open her eyes, to find herself staring at the star painted ceiling of Magellan. Ughh, she had fallen asleep on the couch without even cleaning up after the battle. _*Gotta shower…*_ She yawned once then swung her legs off the edge of the couch and stood stiffly up. On her way to the bathroom she noticed Artemis asleep on the table. _*Heeee... bet it bugged him a bit to let me just fall asleep with out taking care of my injuries more.*_

Once in the small bathroom, she turned on the shower, then looked at herself in the mirror. _*Ouch…* _Mina winced. She looked terrible. The rain and Artemis's healing had taken care of most of the external blood, but she was muddy from laying in the puddle, and even with the healing she looked worse for the wear. She stepped into the shower and sighed, loving the feeling of the warm water cascading down on her. 

~*~

Out in the living room Artemis woke up from his sleep on the end table. He yawned and stretched, then looked over to the couch to see that Mina had already gotten up. His ears picked up the sound of the shower running. _*Good.* _He thought. That would make her feel better.

Artemis used the remote to flick on the TV with a push of his paw. 

And got only static. 

Frowning, he clicked the remote again to change the channel. But it was the same thing over and over: every channel was static. Artemis grumbled. He liked to watch the news. Mina often teased him about this past time, because she found it boring. Well, he'd just have to listen to the radio news. It wasn't as good but would have to do. Artemis hopped off the couch and stalked into the very tiny kitchen where the radio was. 

But when he turned the radio on he got only static as well. Artemis went through every channel, unable to get anything. This annoyed him greatly, but it also worried him. It was one thing for the TV to not work: service was very bad in their building. But the radio ought to have worked. He was just thinking that Mina must have broken it and not told him (it had happened before with the blender), when he heard the explosion. 

__

*Oh no…*

~*~ 

Mina had just stepped out of the shower. The warm water had made her feel much better; she felt less stiff, and whistled as she dried her self with a towel. She was getting ready to get dressed when the sound of something exploding reached her ears. 

Mere seconds after that, she sensed the enemy. 

"VENUS POWER MAKE UP!" 

Something, however, was clearly wrong with her. The transformation was usually easy, and normally she would feel a burst of power with it. This time it took longer than usual, and after she was fully changed she was left feeling drained. _*It's to soon. I don't have the power, the fight yesterday was to much.*_ Another explosion, this one much closer sounded. _*What am I going to do?* _

~*~

As he streaked like lightning from the kitchen to the bathroom, Artemis felt Mina make the transformation into Sailor Venus. Soon after he heard the second explosion. Reaching the bathroom, he screeched to a halt, barely managing to avoid getting hit with the door as Mina flung it open. 

"Artemis, the-"

"I know." Artemis cut her off, bitterly. "The enemy is attacking. _Again._" A third explosion this time caused the building to shake. "The TV and radio are out. I'm assuming a communications disruption. They're launching a large scale assault and..." He trailed off, looking at Mina with a worried expression. 

"Yeah. And I don't have the power to stop them." 

"No." He said. "You don't."

~*~

A minute later, they were on the roof of the building, watching the enemy's army coming ever closer. Mina blinked back tears of anger and frustration, why was she not able to handle the enemy? What good was she as a protector if she couldn't stop this?? Why was she the only one, if she alone was not enough!?

"I'm going to fight."

Artemis whipped his head around to stare at Mina. _*What on earth is she thinking?*_ "Impossible. You can't, you'll just die without accomplishing anything. You haven't the energy left, and this is the largest attack they've ever launched." Mina didn't say anything, she just stared at the nearing destruction. "Darn it Mina!" He shouted. "Don't you get it? You'll die! I don't have the power to do another transfer. You won't get a second chance like you did yesterday!"

"I'm going to fight Artemis." She still didn't look at him. "I'm going to fight, and if I die then so be it." 

With that Mina walked resolutely to the edge of the roof. Artemis could feel her gathering the little bits of energy she had left, reading to jump off, and into the fray. To fight to the death, as it surely would be for her. "Mina!" He shouted. "Mina!" She still didn't turn around. Artemis panicked. Flashes of visions came to him; though he didn't know it at the time, they echoed coldly the second vision Mina had after her recent defeat. Flash_. Mina leapt into the air to slowly and energy bolts lanced through her body. _Flash. _ He attacked the blond general. _Flash._ The enemy marched unstopped. _Flash._ He was dead. _Flash. _Mina was dead! _"Mina! Sailor Venus! MINA!" 

Having finished gathering her miniscule energy Mina turned to him at his last shout. She paused at the edge of the roof, and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Artemis. Really I am. I'd like to live...." She turned away from him, still fighting back tears, and prepared to fling herself into battle. There was the chance she could win, and that was the chance she had to go with. No matter what. 

__

*She's really going to do it!* Artemis thought desperately. _* She doesn't understand! She doesn't have a chance now, but if we wait we-- All right. That's it! She leaves me no choice. I just hope I have enough energy for this!*_

Mina's feet had just left the roof as Artemis shouted. The words tore their way into her head, reverberating loudly until she was sure they would split her head in two. She felt, more than heard them, and they screamed of power. Something tugged at her and as the world spun crazily out of focus, she blacked out. 

~*~

__

Mina opened her eyes to find herself back inside the dream, this time where she had left it last; She was near the portrait watching the man who looked like Artemis and the person who was her but not her kiss. She wondered if even though they couldn't see her, perhaps she should leave them alone. But just as the weirdness of the situation was about to force her to explore elsewhere and leave the man's identity a secret, there came a knock at the door a bit down the hall and a voice called; "My Lady, Princess Mars is here to see you."

The man and other-Mina ended their embrace a bit reluctantly, and other-Mina walked down the hall to open the door. The man smiled after her, then turned and exited around another corner, amusedly mumbling something about her always distracting him when he tried to tell her something. 

Mina was torn between finding out who the man was, and seeing what her other-self would do next. Staying near her other-self won out, partly due to the fact that Mina was curious to find out who this 'Princes Mars' was, and why she was here. Where ever 'here' was. The curiosity of this Princess having the name of a planet, much like Mina's own 'Sailor Venus' identity, was not lost on her. 

Other-Mina opened the door, and the real Mina caught a glimpse of a striking young woman with dark hair, wearing a brilliant blood red dress before something tugged at her consciousness and the dream world faded out as Mina was pulled back into reality and wakefulness.

~*~

Mina awoke to see Artemis once again staring down at her. He looked drained, and as horrible as she felt. Her head was absolutely _pounding_. "Wha- what happened?" She closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered was standing on the edge of their apartment building, preparing to defy Artemis and fight the enemy. _*Well, I'm not dead at least. I'd remember that.... I think.*_ She opened her eyes again, to see Artemis struggling to talk. His mouth was moving like a gaping fish, but just rasping was coming out. "Artemis?! What on earth happened to you?" He mouthed some more, but nothing came out. Mina eyed him worriedly. "It's to bad you're no good at charades." Artemis glared at her. 

"All right, All right." Mina took a minute to asses her energy reserves. They were down even more than they had been earlier. She remembered that she had been transformed the last time she had been conscious, though she wasn't now. She drew a deep breath then let it out. Well, it wasn't good to waste energy, but she had to find out what happened. She'd have to use some power and talk to Artemis telepathically. 

Laying a hand on Artemis forehead, where his crescent moon was, Mina closed her eyes and concentrated. 

__

*Artemis...?*

__

*I can hear you* said his voice in her mind. Their thoughts were linked for the moment. 

__

*Good.* Mina smiled. _*Now tell me what happened!* _

Artemis sighed mentally. Chances were good she wasn't going to be happy with him. Though, he thought, she'd hopefully see things differently once he got a chance to explain. 

__

*Then explain! * Mina's voice cut through his thoughts _*I don't even know what you've done yet!* _

Artemis grinned ruefully. _*Sorry. Forgot you could hear everything.* _He swished his tail around agitatedly then thought, _*I used a word of power.*_

Word of power.... word of power... Mina was sure she had heard of that before, meaning Artemis had taught her what it was. She just had to remember it... wait... now she remembered it-- _*YOU USED A WHAT!?* _her mental voice yelled loudly. They both flinched at the headache it caused them. *_You used a word of power?!*_ she thought a little less loudly. *_A word of power. When you weren't at top strength. When you weren't even at medium strength. After grilling me when you taught me of them that you should never, ever do that? Why Artemis?*_

Artemis sighed again. _* I didn't have any other choice. You were about to go do something that was tantamount to suicide!*_

__

* I,* Mina thought somewhat icily *_Was about to attempt to save people's lives.* _

*_At the expense of your own.*_

*_If I had saved the world would it have been that big a sacrifice?!*_

Artemis sighed exasperatedly. *_That's what your not understanding! You-would-not-have-beat-them. Not today, not as you are!*_

__

*So I'm just to let wait, on the chance that later I'll be able to beat them, while people are dieing now_?* _

*Yes.* 

~*~

End Chapter Three

AN: 

Lost: Another chapter complete! I know it took me a longer time than I said to get it out, but I'm actually rather pleased with myself, both because of it's length and quality. First of all, this chapter in it's 'notepad' form is 17 kb. Chapter 2 is only 9 kb. So it's almost twice as big! Also, when I first started writing this fic, I had trouble writing dialogue between Artemis and Mina but I'm very happy with how I'm doing it now! 

Anyways, please forgive me for taking longer than I said to write this chapter. I'd like to promise that the next one will be out soon. In fact, it's actually rather likely, since I could have kept writing for this chapter. Artemis has a lot of explaining to do, and I'm ready to write it. But I wanted to end this chapter here, because I felt it was finally long enough, and I know I've kept you waiting a while for it. 

A couple notes about this chapter: On the words of power: more about them in the next chapter. I've taken the name from a book, though mine are after a different concept of my own invention. Kudos if you knew which book, it's by Tamora Pierce. You didn't get many questions answered hmmm? Still don't know what's up with Mina's 'dreams'. And now we're left wondering why Artemis thinks she can beat them later (well, you are. I'm not J ). At one point in one of Mina's 'dreams' the man-who-looks-like-Artemis call's her 'Mina-chan'. I don't go for the whole 'throw-Japanese-words-in-whenever' thing, but I felt that it was appropriate in this case for that man to call her by a term of endearment… Forgive me if it bugs you! Also, let me know if it does, 'cause feedback is much appreciated. 

On that note (Now I'm just doing it on purpose!) reviews are much appreciated, so please review, whether you'd like to give me a big comment or just say your reading! 

Review Thanks: 

Wingnut: Well, thanks for reviewing again! It's much appreciated so like you said, I know *somebody* is reading ;) 

Aria the Frozen Phoenix: Sorry I didn't contact you to have you beta this chapter, I've never had a beta before, and it took me forever to write this chapter so I just wanted to post it! But I am very glad you're my beta (if you still are! ;) )Thanks! I'm glad you liked that chapter. I like writing cliffs. 

moon-neko-princess: ^.^ I'm so glad you like it! Hmmm, I can't really answer to many of your questions… lol, but while Luna *is* dead, she may make an appearance later on….By the way, I do like your story! Everyone go read moon-neko-princess's fic ok? ^.^

EternalSailor: Thanks! I'm glad you still like it. ^.^ all questions should be answered in time…

Snuffles2: Hey! I'm very glad you love it. Sorry I didn't update soon, I promise the next update will be sooner. At least this chapter is longer huh? ^.^ I love strange pairings to, but you all will just have to wait and see. Thanks again! 

Story Advertising:

Title: **Serenades of the Desert Rose**

Author: **Aria the Frozen Phoenix**

Lost: This is a lovely lovely Mina/Malachite story. Because as you know, theirloveissocanon. ^.^ at least if you read the manga it is! Which I do, and anyways, this story has a great plot going for it as well, including a kidnapping. It's my recommendation for this chapter, so read it! 

~*~

Lost: if you'd like to receive notification of when I post a new chapter, please post a request and your email in a review. I'll email you when I post the next chapter. 

I'm still open for beta's if you'd like to beta for me. I have one (I think! It's been a while since she said she would and I hadn't sent her anything!) but I could always use a couple more opinions

Also, FF.N isn't uploading this entirely right, it's taking out the codes for centering things. I'll try and fix this later, because I want to get this chapter uploaded now. 

Next Chapter: You get a further explanation of words of power! Artemis gets a chance to explain just _why_ mina couldn't fight right then. Much angst as the enemy--- oh, but I can't give it all away. ^.^


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